Urban Transportation Solutions.

[RodalfoWalsh]

so did I, was it in puerto madero?

I saw a guy in the puerto madero Starbucks who had one of these

 

[jantango]

I'm full of unsolicited ideas about how to help fix the transportation disaster we live with daily.

The train thread got me writing a few down and I thought I'd take it to its own thread so other people can contribute.

These ideas aim to address the problems around Buenos Aires, not the whole country and to be realistic and achievable.

• Nationalize the urban and suburban colectivos. The current system is completely non functional and results in unnecessary overcrowding of the streets and underutilization of other methods of public transport. Some things that can be done following this move
  • Integration of fares. Lots of people avoid using multiple means of transportation since it implies pay more than a slower single colectivo
  • Removal of redundant colectivos. For example the 68. Once the connection between the H and D lines of the subway are complete there is absolutely no reason for these buses to continue to run. I'd also venture you could remove the 118 and 41 buses as well because of the following.
  • Realization that people can walk more than 2 blocks. Lets move bus stops a little farther apart. There is no reason that ever 2nd or 3rd block has a stop on it. This will increase the speed with which people move via colectivo and will also greatly reduce the negative effect that colectivos have on general traffic.
• New Highway: Raise the San Martin onto a viaduct for its entire length, that isn't actually my idea, it's something they're currently doing which I think is a great idea. My idea is that while they're at it they should build a 2 level viaduct which also could carry a highway from Av General Paz to Au. Illia. with exits at nazca, warnes, cordoba, and libertador. This would clear up some of the congestion around the panamericana and provide important connections for the west of the city
• Remove street parking in Once. Talk about no brainer. It's bad enough that people are constantly loading and unloading merchandise, why do we have to add to the problem.
• Buenos Aires - La Plata into the rio de la plata, underwater in a tunnel, over water on a bridge either way get it out of la boca. Connect Au 9 de Julio to Buenos Aires - La Plata in Dock Sud. This works on so many levels.
  • It revolutionizes the the downtown traffic situation by removing heavy transit from Huergo/Madero.
  • It would allow la boca to have a real estate resurgence with it's own beautiful view of sinking rust buckets. (Hey it works in puerto madero)
  • It could be connected to the Illia in Retiro and massively improve the connection between zona sur and zona norte
  • It could be multimodal, cargo trains running from the port around the city which would free up the right of way in Puerto Madero
• Connect the Belgranos. Using the right of way in Puerto Madero and La Boca, minimal expropriations would allow the connection of Retiro and Estacion Buenos Aires. This would do wonders for North - South connections including one long overdue, the..
• Train to EZE. This is a gaping hole in the transportation infrastructure of the city and the country. Assuming the previous suggestion is concreted an express train from EZE could run with stops in Puerto madero, Retiro, Aeroparque and Puente Savedraa, there by linking the international airport with a large number of international hotel chains, the downtown business district, the airport from which many international tourists will leave on connecting flights to other domestic destinations, the long distance bus terminal, the transportation hub of retiro, and the international ferry terminal.

And so much more... Unfortunately I don't rule the world and nobody cares about my ideas.

Why don't you submit your proposal to the city's director of transportation? You live here. Participate as a resident. Attend neighborhood meetings with Horacio Larreta and his staff. They are informative.

Every director involved with transportation speaks English. They are working on all kinds of ways to improve the congestion. You're not the only one that notices the problem. It takes time to implement. See who they are in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVUYKbAEjbU

Complaining on this forum doesn't accomplish much of anything except get others into the act of complaining.

I took photos of the sidewalk and bicycle lane that were torn up last week when gas pipes were repaired. Instead of waiting to see how long it would take to be repaired, I sent photos to the online system de attencion ciudana with the address and my data. The sidewalk was repaired two days ago and the bicycle lane was repaved in five days. Talk about response in the city. And today our street finally got its first container for garbage! No more dirty sidewalks once the neighbors figure out what to do. Larreta said we'd have containers by June, and he kept his promise.

A law expanding the Subte hours was presented today in the City legislature citing other major cities have trains running more hours than Buenos Aires. Read the law here: http://defensoria.org.ar/wpnoticias/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Extensión-franja-horaria-Subte.pdf

 

[mikic007]

@jantango

I really appreciate people that care, some time ago I was one.

Since I couldn't understand, that in 2013 there is a big city such as bs as, without containers, we were calling, writing and visiting every week to finally get them one day (funny, same street one block further got them at least a year later). Anyway, soon it proved, that people here cannot and will not adjust to hygienic standards of new millenium (which are at least hundreds of years old..). For some time we tried to persuade local verduleros, chinos and other business, that there is enough space inside, and even when they managed to put majority in, cartoneros put all the stuff out again. It is a bit better, but far from what I would call normal. Maybe its a start.

But sadly, in lawless country things move very slowly. Even in Austria and other organized countries you will need punishment for people, that ignore efforts of the majority, because otherwise system do not work for no one. Argentina has all possible laws, if you read them, you theoretically live in Scandinavia, but its their mentality that is lacking, and of course, a little bit of police.

To make long story short, I don't care anymore much, what is happening on the street. I push people if jumping in front of me, crowd on the bus/subte when needed, yell on the people that sneeze in my face without putting hand in front and most important, I started to go to work at 6, avoiding all the rush hours. My life is (almost) perfect again, zero stress. Bus drivers are nice grandfathers that drive every morning on the minute, stop if you just wave and bus stops every 6 blocks at most. It's a blessing, is what Bs As could be with a little effort also during the day. But guess what, there is minority of people that like the other way, and there are no people willing to stop them.

So we can daydream on the forum and complain

 

[Dada]

Call me weird, but my impressions of BA public transport are perfectly in tune with all the other reasons why I love this city :wub:

I have been to many cities with effective transport systems and they have my respect. None of them made my heart smile the way Buenos Aires does. Where else do you get two different Pueyrredon (or Callao) stations on two different lines? While the intersections each have an extra name per each line passing through them.

Looking for a bus stop through the square system of Guia T activated parts of my brain I didn't even know I had.

Even walking becomes an adventure, thanks to their unique maps, with flexible orientation. Like when you're looking for something allegedly located at Diagonal Sur, and your map only features two diagonals, Av.Pres.Roque Saenz Pena and Av.Pres.Julio A. Roca. Easy one, especially when your map happens to have Retiro at the foot of the page and Boca on top.

Oh, and the drivers! They may not stop for reasons such as red light or zebra, but when they do stop, some of them make it well clear it's because you are so beautiful B)

 

[Matt84]

Oh, and the drivers!

If the entire post is not a joke then this person's glasses are exaggeratedly tinted.
Have you tried citibike yet? Drivers just fall over each other to let a bicycle pass, and when you hear the colorful exp<b></b>ressions you know it's because of you!

 

[jantango]

Call me weird, but my impressions of BA public transport are perfectly in tune with all the other reasons why I love this city :

but when they do stop, some of them make it well clear it's because you are so beautiful. B)

I love this city and its people because they have lots of heart.

What's not to love about the guys hanging on the back of garbage trucks who don't miss an opportunity to make a connection with a smile, a wave, or an air kiss?

 

[ajoknoblauch]

I love this city and its people because they have lots of heart.

What's not to love about the guys hanging on the back of garbage trucks who don't miss an opportunity to make a connection with a smile, a wave, or an air kiss?

Pero son recontra machistas.

 

[ElQueso]

Maybe some women like that? My girls certainly often get more than a waved air kiss from those guys...they don't like it that much.

I've never been much of a lover of mass public transportation here for personal reasons (I like my personal space, among others) and haven't needed to use it much (although the trains out to Tigre are nice at least when I'm getting on at Retiro), but I had other reasons to love BA when I first got here.

Now, I wouldn't call it love, but maybe a [more] tolerant fondness, after having been in a purely dislike sort of relationship (which took me a couple of years to get over). The city, the politics, some of the people, all of it, can grind you down a bit over time, depending on why you're here and why you're staying. Those who still love BA for what it is, more power to you and I hope you keep the feeling